UN Biodiversity Conference—COP17

Wednesday 4th November 2026 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Jenny Riddell-Carpenter)]

Nature underpins our food and water security, health, economic resilience and prosperity. The Government remain committed to halting and reversing biodiversity loss and to implementing the Kunming-Montreal global biodiversity framework at home and internationally.

The 17th conference of the parties to the convention on biological diversity—CBD COP17—concluded in Yerevan, Armenia, on 31 October. The conference adopted nearly 50 decisions, including the first global review of collective progress in implementing the Kunming-Montreal global biodiversity framework. The review found that, although progress is being made, the world is not on track to meet the framework’s 23 targets by 2030 without accelerated action. The United Kingdom played an active and constructive role in securing the central package of decisions needed to maintain international momentum towards 2030.

The principal outcome was agreement of the Yerevan pathway, the negotiated response to the first global review. It sets priorities for faster implementation, including reforming incentives harmful to biodiversity; increasing financial, scientific and technical support for developing countries; aligning national budgets and economic decisions with the global biodiversity framework; and strengthening planning, monitoring, reporting and review. The UK welcomes this assessment of the implementation gap and will continue to support practical action to turn global commitments into measurable results.

Parties also reached agreement on resource mobilisation. The outcome recognises the need to increase finance from all sources, establishes criteria to guide a financial mechanism for the period after 2030, and provides a voluntary route for additional countries to signal an interest in contributing.

COP17 also advanced the multilateral mechanism for sharing benefits from the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources and the Cali fund. The decision retained the voluntary approach for UK businesses and did not increase the indicative contribution rates agreed at COP16. It established temporary arrangements for allocating funding to developing countries and a programme of further work on the operation of the mechanism. Four UK companies have now contributed to the Cali fund, supporting biodiversity while protecting open research and innovation.

Further decisions enabled the new subsidiary body on article 8(j) to begin its work with the participation of indigenous peoples and local communities, and advanced co-operation on marine and coastal biodiversity, including with the agreement on biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction. The UK also helped secure recognition of the critical contribution of the intergovernmental science policy platform on biodiversity and ecosystem services, defending independent science and evidence-based decision making.

We were disappointed that not all of the COP’s work was completed within the time available, and that decisions on biodiversity and climate change and language on harmful subsidies were less ambitious than the UK had sought. Nevertheless, the overall package enables parties to continue accelerating implementation. The UK will continue to promote practical synergies between the Rio conventions and the reform of subsidies and other incentives harmful to biodiversity.

Alongside the negotiations, the UK announced £1.94 million to support the Wildlife Trusts’ purchase of the Rothbury estate, helping to secure a nationally important landscape for long-term nature recovery. The Wildlife Trusts and Northumberland Wildlife Trust will work with local communities, tenants and farmers to develop a shared vision for the estate, supporting wildlife, farming and rural livelihoods. Our 30by30 publication “From Commitment to Conservation”, which was launched during COP17, shows how countries, communities and conservation partners are turning the global 30by30 commitment into practical conservation outcomes. This is available online at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/delivering-the-30by30-commitment

The UK also announced that, over the next three financial years, around £6 billion of UK aid will support international climate finance, with around a quarter expected to benefit nature.

This builds on the UK’s £330 million pledge to the ninth replenishment of the global environment facility and our intention to invest £400 million in the tropical forests forever facility, supporting developing countries to protect nature and mobilise finance for standing forests. We have also convened the world’s first climate and nature security taskforce, bringing together expertise from across security, the military, academia and industry to strengthen our preparedness for the risks posed by climate change and nature loss. As the Foreign Secretary recently set out, building resilience to climate, economic and security shocks is a matter of both values and national interest. We will carry that focus into our G20 presidency, working with partners to strengthen resilience, protect shared prosperity and support greater global stability.

The Government also published “Growing Places: Mobilising Private Finance for Local Nature Recovery”, setting out how we will unlock private investment in nature by strengthening demand, building confidence in nature markets and helping local partners to develop investable projects. This is available online at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mobilising-private-finance-for-local-nature-recovery

This will support nature recovery alongside sustainable growth and more resilient communities.

In England, we will drive delivery towards our 2030 global targets through the environmental improvement plan, backed by over £7 billion for nature recovery.

This includes delivering on our commitment to protect 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030—known as 30by30. We will also continue to reform agricultural subsidies, moving from land-based payments towards rewarding farmers for environmental benefits through environmental land management schemes, alongside food production. We will improve protected sites and are investing £26 million to support local nature recovery strategies to target action where it will have greatest impact. We will also invest £25 million in peatland restoration in 2027-28 to 2028-29, prioritising areas at greater wildfire risk, alongside support for land managers to create fire ponds and firebreaks. At sea, we will strengthen protection of marine habitats through fisheries management measures in English waters.

This sits alongside other measures to accelerate our work to drive nature recovery at home, including investing £60 million to support 130 conservation projects across England in 2026-27 to 2028-29, helping to support the recovery of over 350 threatened species. A further £30 million will support species recovery on the national forest estate, and another £30 million will support the creation of wildlife-rich habitat in protected landscapes. We will also support opportunities to reintroduce native species, as we have with bringing beavers back, where there are clear environmental and socioeconomic benefits.

COP17 delivered a balanced but hard-fought package, although it did not resolve every political disagreement. Further work will be required before COP18, which Ecuador will host in 2028. The UK will continue to work with parties and partners to accelerate implementation, protect the integrity of science, mobilise resources from all sources, and ensure that nature recovery supports security, prosperity and resilience.

[HCWS448]